I'm not 1 in a million. I just worked hard to know valuable information, and that information is worth money. Just like the guy that learns carpentry wins money thanks to his very knowledge of carpentry when there is something to repair on the roof, while the average joe has to pay someone to fix it.
But I have to agree with you it sounds a lot like work, more than investing. But that's pleasant and profitable work, and it can help one reach FIRE faster, just like plain-old index investing.
Just for the anecdote, about the $20 for $10 bucks. A few years ago, France decided to produce golden €100 coins; for collectors, but you could use them as any other coin or banknote. Of course, they were not worth €100 in gold, only about €75. But, from the moment they produced them to the moment they put them on the market, gold surged and they were worth something like €105 in gold, yet you only paid €100 for them. Of course, lots of people wanted to have them, but they were offered in very limited supply at post offices. Except I live in a very poor area, so I was the only one there buying those coins. I could get those coins, know they would never be worth less than what I paid, and hope to sell them up to €150 to collectors. No downside, a 50% potential upside. Oh man, those were the days.
That is another example of asymetry : France didn't see the surge in gold prices and I was advantaged geographically. That does not mean I have superpowers or what. That just happened to be a profitable deal that was guaranteed (for free) to have no downside.